Obtaining a back link with keyword rich anchor text, having it point to the proper landing page, and having it come from a relevant site is considered the holy grail of link building.  This is often one of the most difficult things to accomplish when attempting to grow back-links to your site, but it is extremely valuable.  So how do you get past all of the roadblocks that come with link building? Below is a short list of some of the most common roadblocks to linking as well as some practical ways to get around them. 

1. “I’ve sent out link requests but nobody has responded. It’s been weeks and I am losing hope.”

  • My first guess would be that the benefit the link exchange has to the other site has not been properly conveyed. If the website you are requesting a link from does not already have a links page, you might be barking up the wrong tree. If the site does have a links page, however, they more than likely understand the value of exchanging links, they just don’t see the value in linking with your site.
  • Make sure that you play up how great your site is, just as much as you compliment them on theirs. Do not assume that the website you are requesting a link exchange with is familiar with SEO (If they were, they would have had links exchanged within a couple of days), instead try to focus on the Non-SEO benefits of link exchanges (i.e. more site exposure, great complimentary products/services).

2. “I am getting back links, but they are usually written with poor anchor text or don’t point to the page I want.”

  • Write it yourself then, you cannot assume that sites that link to you or with you are looking out for your SEO intentions. They do not have a list of the keywords you are targeting, and they surely aren’t going to do the research to discover the best pages to link to on your site. If you do not send overly specific, detailed information, you should not expect to get quality anchor text with your links.
  • If a site already has a link pointing to your website that you did not request, it might still be possible to contact them about including your preferred anchor text. Make sure that you stress your gratitude for the existing link, and if necessary, offer to reciprocate a link in exchange for them updating your anchor text.

3. “My links are not being recognized by the search engines and do not seem to have very much value.”

  • Make sure that you are requesting links from quality sites. Also, make sure that the links are passing value. By downloading the SEO Quake add-on for Firefox, you can turn on an option that will point out links that are no-followed. If links from a links page are no-followed, it might not be a good site to request a link from. It is also a good idea to check the cache date and the Google PR of the page you are requesting your link to be added to. If the search engines have no record of it, or if the PR is n/a, you do not want to have your link appear on that page.

By doing the proper research, taking the initiative to request specific anchor text, and properly displaying the value that a link exchange can provide, you will be well on your way to a successful linking campaign.

Aaron Garcia
width=